Friday, March 30, 2012

NY fort's 1750s skeleton featured on new TV series !!

When it was unearthed at a Colonial British military site in upstate New York in the mid-1990s, anthropologists knew something was different about the skeleton they designated Burial 14. The 17 other human skeletons discovered at Fort William Henry in Lake George since the 1950s were the remains of Europeans, but the features of Burial 14's skull indicated he hailed from elsewhere, possibly Africa. Now, forensics experts say they've answered some lingering questions about Burial 14, and in the process stirred up another mystery and some controversy: How did an American Indian from the western U.S. wind up 2,000 miles away in the Adirondacks, and what should be done with his remains?

Blackfeet artist Jackie Parsons has been awarded the 2012 Jennifer Easton Community Spirit Award for traditional arts by the First Peoples Fund. This national honor was bestowed on six Native American artists this year based on their exceptional artistic work and commitment to the preservation of indigenous native culture. The award includes a $5,000 fellowship to help Parsons pursue her art career. Honorees are nominated for the national award by members of their own tribes, and are selected by an independent panel of cultural leaders.

Representatives of two Greek Life organizations at the University of Denver publicly apologized Wednesday for a cowboys-and-Indians theme party last month that offended Native American students in a campus gathering both sides hoped would lead to greater understanding. The two organizations — the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and Delta Delta Delta sorority — hosted the party on Feb. 25. Three days later, members of the Native Student Alliance saw photos of the party, including revelers in Indian garb, on Facebook and contacted Johanna Leyba, DU's assistant provost for inclusive excellence and the group's staff adviser, to express their frustration.

The Port Gamble S'Klallam is the first Native-American tribe in the nation to start running all of its child guardianships, foster care and adoptions. The agreement with the federal government essentially severed any oversight by the state Department of Social and Health Services.

An estimated 10,000 indigenous people marched on Monday in the Guatemalan capital after they walked more than 200 kilometers (120 miles) to demand a government settlement of a conflict over land. Tired and sweating, with bags slung over their shoulders and waving red pennants, the thousands of Indians and peasants, who were joined by social organizations, students and labor unions, marched through the historic downtown area before meeting with President Otto Perez Molina.